Living in His Fear

Text: Acts 9:31
Theme: The early church lived “in the fear of the Lord” and grew through the Holy Spirit.
Key verse: “The church then had peace throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria, and it became stronger as the believers lived in the fear of the Lord. And with the encouragament of the Holy Spirit, it also grew in numbers” (v. 31).
What God said to me: True spiritual growth doesn’t come apart from the fear of me. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” It all starts with fearing me. Revering me, honoring me, following me, obeying me, trusting me–all of those action verbs and attributes of a healthy Christian walk begin with fearing me. Let him who boasts boast in this, that he knows and understands me. You don’t know me unless you understand I’m worthy of your fear. What’s more, you won’t add others to your congregation without the “encouragement” of the Holy Spirit. Face it, you can’t do anything without the One You fear.
What I said to God: Thank You Lord for reminding me of this very important and fundamental truth. Increase my fear of You. I don’t fear Your wrath because Jesus took Your wrath on Himself on the cross. But I do fear Your chastisement and Your disappointment. I want to hear You say “Well done.” I don’t want my works to burn up when I stand before You at the Jugdment Seat of Christ. I don’t want to see hurt on Your face because I let You down. I fear that after I have preached to others, I myself might become shipwrecked in my faith. I fear Your light of holiness exposing my unholiness. As I know and understand You more, help me grow to therefore fear You more. Holy Spirit, please encourage more people to join us as workers in our field of faith.